As the nineteenth century ended, Ontario wildlife became increasingly valuable. Tourists and sport hunters spent growing amounts of money in search of game, and the government began to extend its regulatory powers in this arena. Restrictions were imposed on hunting and trapping, completely ignoring Anishinaabeg hunting rights set out in the Robinson Treaties of 1850.

Who Controls the Hunt? examines how Ontario’s emerging wildlife conservation laws failed to reconcile First Nations treaty rights and the power of the state. David Calverley traces the political and legal arguments prompted by the interplay of treaty rights, provincial and dominion government interests, and the corporate concerns of the Hudson’s Bay Company. A nuanced examination of Indigenous resource issues, the themes of this book remain germane to questions about who controls the hunt in Canada today.

David Calverley's profile page

David Calverley teaches history in Toronto.

Calverley provides a detailed description of key events and conflicts that surround First Nations harvesting rights, wildlife conservation, and management in Ontario during this period.

Native American and Indigenous Studies

Who Controls the Hunt? is a valuable case study to which readers can bring as much as they take – and one I will remember each spring as we gather up the rods, the regulations, and the resident and non-resident permits we need to spend another season on the water.

Network in Canadian History and Environment

"…this book is a welcome addition to the historiography of the difficult relationship between provincial wildlife conservation policies and Indigenous peoples in Canada."

Ontario Historical Society Review

Who Controls the Hunt… is an important resource providing a clear and lucid historical context as Canada and the provinces continue to wrestle with this question.

British Journal of Canadian Studies

I would go as far as heavily recommending [this book] as a means of gaining a deeper, more nuanced understanding of hunting, fishing, and conservation policy in Ontario, Canada and abroad.

Scientia Canadensis